Summary
Having fled his native France after killing an aristocrat, Nicolas Philibert arrives in
the United States and soon makes his fortune as a crop merchant. His marriage to
the daughter of a wealthy man is frustrated when it is revealed that he is already married,
to a woman still living in France. The only solution is for Nicolas to return to
France to divorce his wife. He arrives in France shortly after the French Revolution
only to find that his wife, Charlotte has allied herself with a party of loyalists who
intend to dispose of the newly formed republic...
Review
Les Mariés de l'an II is typical of the ebullient and witty period drama
which French cinema has been consistently good at producing for many decades. As
would be expected from Jean-Paul Rappeneau, the director of the 1990s hit Cyrano de
Bergerac, this is an intelligent, good humoured romp which capitalises on its historical
setting to great effect. The film was a popular success when it was first released
in France.
For budgetary reasons, the film was filmed on location in Rumania (at the time of the
Cold War) instead of France (where the bulk of the film was set), although this does not
compromise its authenticity as a respectable quality period drama.
Whilst the script is no where near as impressive as Cyrano de Bergerac, the film
shines in many other areas, most notably in its attention to period detail. The
sets and costumes evoke every schoolboy’s memory of France of the 1790s, whilst the numerous
action sequences, including some impressive fight scenes and some spectacular stunts,
are expertly choreographed.
The film also benefits from a very strong cast, including the magnificent Jean-Paul Belmondo
(who was badly injured when making some of the amazing stunts he did for this film), the
delightful Marlène Jobert, and the resourceful Sami Frey. Another great luminary
in the form of Pierre Brasseur plays a major part in the film, and the observant will
notice a young Patrick Dewaere in a fleeting appearance.
© James Travers 2001
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